I've found Adagio's Yunnan Noir to be not quite as spicy, a much smoother taste, and a wonderful everyday tea. I bought a pound of it last time I ordered (though admittedly, my boyfriend loves it too, so between the two of us, we'll go through it a lot faster). I'm not very experienced with Yunnan's, though, so I can't recommend a variety.

+1 for Yunnan Sourcing. This year's Feng Qing 1-leaf-1-bud was not peppery, but it was very tasty. Also so-called "Dragon Pearls" available from Adagio and Teavana do not seem, to me, to be so peppery either - more malty, really.

Rithmomachy wrote:Yunnan Sourcing has a plethora of blacks to try though. What's the difference? Is price indicative of quality?

The difference is bud/leaf ratio and flavor profile. Some are all buds, some are mixed, some have no buds; some are spicy while others could be smooth and sweet. The descriptions on YS's website seem to address those issues fairly well. AFIAK they are all fairly good quality - the ones I've had certainly are.

Adagio's Yunnan teas have a good reputation and outstanding reviews, but the price could be more competitive.

On the other hand, I'm intrigued by two offerings by Yunnan Sourcing: "Spring '10 Feng Qing 1 Leaf 1 Bud Yunnan Black tea," and "Mojiang "Gold Needle" Yunnan Black." I wonder if others have had good experiences with these teas.

It´s mostly a matter of preference...all buds is usually more expensive but it´s not nessesarily better. Older leaves give a heavier mouth feel and more robust flavours. Pure buds are usually quite mild and delicate.

spinmail wrote:Adagio's Yunnan teas have a good reputation and outstanding reviews, but the price could be more competitive.

On the other hand, I'm intrigued by two offerings by Yunnan Sourcing: "Spring '10 Feng Qing 1 Leaf 1 Bud Yunnan Black tea," and "Mojiang "Gold Needle" Yunnan Black." I wonder if others have had good experiences with these teas.

Yes, I have (had, actually - I finished my bag of Feng Qing already) both of those. The Feng Qing is my favorite of the two. It is not spicy like other Yunnans but light and sweet instead. If you use a decent amount of leaf, you can get a few steeps out of it. The Gold Needle is nice but it is not very complex. It has the distinct Yunnan Black pepper flavor, but that's about all there is to it. That's not to say that it's bad, because it is tasty. It's better as an everyday tea.

entropyembrace wrote:It´s mostly a matter of preference...all buds is usually more expensive but it´s not nessesarily better. Older leaves give a heavier mouth feel and more robust flavours. Pure buds are usually quite mild and delicate.

I have also tried 2010 Jinggu "Golden Strand" Pure Bud from yunnan sourcing and I agree that it is sweet and smooth, very sweet indeed. But the brew is not quite transparent, it's cloudy. Is it a common case with red teas? Also when pouring hot water into a teapot a lot of foam emerges on the surface. I dont get such amounts of foam with other kinds of tea. Is foam related to tea quality in some way?

Serg wrote:I have also tried 2010 Jinggu "Golden Strand" Pure Bud from yunnan sourcing and I agree that it is sweet and smooth, very sweet indeed. But the brew is not quite transparent, it's cloudy. Is it a common case with red teas? Also when pouring hot water into a teapot a lot of foam emerges on the surface. I dont get such amounts of foam with other kinds of tea. Is foam related to tea quality in some way?

Foam will develop depending on the tea you're steeping, temperature of the water, whether or not you did a rinse, etc. You can skim it off the surface with the lid of your gaiwan (if you're using one), otherwise, don't worry about it.